What makes up a best of class program? One that is consistent with “industry best practices” but hasn’t “demonstrated success in execution of key components” or one who “may not be as consistent with industry best practices” but has “demonstrated success” in execution of key components on a regular basis? In my humble opinion, I want a program who has both but I place more weight on “successful, repeated execution”.
I play in alot of amateur tournament golf and you see players with the great swings but who can’t produce the low scores needed to win. In other words, their swings are consistent with “best practices” but they can’t “execute” when the rubber hits the road. You need both, but it all comes down to execution.
So, if I needed to get my program off the ground quickly while focusing on “maturity” and “execution”, I would ensure that I had “high maturity and execution” in what I deem “critical path” components:
- Governance
- Budget
- Program Management
- Business Impact Analysis
- Recovery Strategy
- Recovery Plans
- Exercises
- Maintenance
- Training and Education
- Continuous Improvement
There are many other components but I would focus in these areas and ensure these components would be designed to best meet industry standards as well as show demonstrated capability on a scheduled basis. I believe these components will ensure recovery when you need it most. Remember, in the end, you won’t be remembered for a program that was mature but one that executed when the time came!
About MHA: MHA Consulting, with its decade-long track record, is a proven leader in business continuity planning, disaster recovery planning, IT best practices and data center moves and relocations. Every day, MHA helps protect trillions of dollars of global-market assets and top companies around the world rely on MHA services for the continuity of their business. For more information on MHA, contact Michael Herrera at herrera at mha-it dot com or visit www.mha-it.com.